Rapid revenue spikes often trigger celebration, unless the numbers don’t make sense. MindNote, an AI notetaker designed for students, researchers, and professionals, recently faced exactly that scenario: an unexpected surge of 10,000 MRR generated in just three days. At first glance, it looked like a breakthrough moment. In reality, it signaled something far more troubling. The first red flag A sudden burst of 50–100 transactions per minute began appearing far beyond normal user behavior. Even stranger, the majority of these purchases were instantly canceled. The app’s usage metrics remained completely unchanged, revealing that no new genuine users were actually engaging with the product. This mismatch made the pattern clear: MindNote was under a carding attack. What is a carding attack? A carding attack occurs when scammers test large batches of stolen credit cards by making small online purchases. If the transactions succeed, the cards are considered “live” and ready for furt...
The first red flag
A sudden burst of 50–100 transactions per minute began appearing far beyond normal user behavior. Even stranger, the majority of these purchases were instantly canceled. The app’s usage metrics remained completely unchanged, revealing that no new genuine users were actually engaging with the product. This mismatch made the pattern clear: MindNote was under a carding attack.What is a carding attack?
A carding attack occurs when scammers test large batches of stolen credit cards by making small online purchases. If the transactions succeed, the cards are considered “live” and ready for further exploitation. It’s a widespread method used by cybercriminals around the globe. Importantly, no existing MindNote users were ever at risk. Their data, payments, and information remained fully protected. However, accepting fraudulent transactions is against MindNote’s principles, and benefiting from stolen funds goes against the core ethics of the platform.The bigger picture: Scammers fuel "Real Revenue"
A timely investigative report recently revealed that more than 10% of Meta’s revenue comes from fraudulent advertisers. Source Fraud generates real money, and scammers operate in every industry. They need to pay for food, housing, medical care and digital platforms often become an easy, unintentional source of income. Acknowledging this reality is important, but it doesn’t mean enabling it. The responsibility remains to protect victims and close vulnerabilities wherever possible.The Battle behind the Scenes
To contain the attack quickly, two immediate actions were necessary:Alerting FastSpring, the web payment provider.
FastSpring’s risk team responded rapidly, collaborating closely with MindNote to filter, block, and reverse suspicious activity. Reinforcing website security.
Multiple defensive layers were added to stop automated bots from firing off micro-transactions.
Every time a defense was deployed, the attacker adapted turning the situation into a short but intense digital duel.
At first, MindNote temporarily paused web-based payments. This is to prevent further damage while the team worked to contain the surge.
By day three, fraudulent transactions were mostly under control.
By day four, almost all bot attempts were being automatically rejected before approval, thanks to a strong work between FastSpring and MindNote.
The platform aims to support learners and professionals, not profit from stolen cards. Taking funds from cybercrime victims directly contradicts its mission. MindNote continues to improve quietly, without aggressive marketing pushes, because the focus remains on delivering genuine value, not artificial revenue.
There is empathy for those whose card information was stolen. Digital fraud often impacts ordinary people, and platforms have a responsibility to avoid contributing to that harm.
Disclaimer:
Certain technical details have been intentionally omitted to prevent misuse. The purpose of this article is to share insights, not to provide information that could strengthen or inspire fraudulent mechanisms. There is also awareness that publishing this article may unintentionally encourage other scammers to attempt similar carding attacks for their own gain, whether targeting MindNote or any other platform. For this reason, sensitive processes and security measures have been deliberately left undisclosed.
1. High transaction capacity is already in place. MindNote can handled easily thousands of transactions per minute without crashing a strong technical indicator.
2. Website security needed (and received) an upgrade. New layers of bot detection and fraud mitigation are now active and functioning.
3. Strong vendor partnerships are crucial. FastSpring played a major role in limiting the damage and restoring normal operations quickly.
4. Fraud prevention must evolve continuously. Scammers adapt fast. Security needs to adapt faster.
5. Revenue quality matters sometimes more than revenue quantity. Not all growth is good growth and recognizing dangerous patterns early can save a business.
6. Transparency builds trust. Sharing incidents like this helps users understand the realities of digital ecosystems and the commitment to ethical operations.
Free trials unintentionally shield users by preventing immediate charges during attacks.
MindNote is an AI notetaking web app launched in May 2025, built to boost productivity for B2B teams, university students, and academic researchers.
In-person & virtual meeting transcription: Works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, with Slack Huddles on the way.
At first, MindNote temporarily paused web-based payments. This is to prevent further damage while the team worked to contain the surge.
By day three, fraudulent transactions were mostly under control.
By day four, almost all bot attempts were being automatically rejected before approval, thanks to a strong work between FastSpring and MindNote.
Why not just shut up and take the money?
Because MindNote was built to help and delight users, not exploit them. It is a passionate project focused on productivity, how the brain works, how humans store and share information, and how it may be possible to input thoughts directly into a notetaker.The platform aims to support learners and professionals, not profit from stolen cards. Taking funds from cybercrime victims directly contradicts its mission. MindNote continues to improve quietly, without aggressive marketing pushes, because the focus remains on delivering genuine value, not artificial revenue.
There is empathy for those whose card information was stolen. Digital fraud often impacts ordinary people, and platforms have a responsibility to avoid contributing to that harm.
Disclaimer:
Certain technical details have been intentionally omitted to prevent misuse. The purpose of this article is to share insights, not to provide information that could strengthen or inspire fraudulent mechanisms. There is also awareness that publishing this article may unintentionally encourage other scammers to attempt similar carding attacks for their own gain, whether targeting MindNote or any other platform. For this reason, sensitive processes and security measures have been deliberately left undisclosed.
Key learnings from the incident
1. High transaction capacity is already in place. MindNote can handled easily thousands of transactions per minute without crashing a strong technical indicator.
2. Website security needed (and received) an upgrade. New layers of bot detection and fraud mitigation are now active and functioning.
3. Strong vendor partnerships are crucial. FastSpring played a major role in limiting the damage and restoring normal operations quickly.
4. Fraud prevention must evolve continuously. Scammers adapt fast. Security needs to adapt faster.
5. Revenue quality matters sometimes more than revenue quantity. Not all growth is good growth and recognizing dangerous patterns early can save a business.
6. Transparency builds trust. Sharing incidents like this helps users understand the realities of digital ecosystems and the commitment to ethical operations.
Free trials unintentionally shield users by preventing immediate charges during attacks.
About MindNote
MindNote is an AI notetaking web app launched in May 2025, built to boost productivity for B2B teams, university students, and academic researchers.
Designed to help users write up to ten times faster, it effortlessly captures and transforms ideas from any format: text, voice, video, or images into clean, structured notes.
Since launch, MindNote has gained strong traction, attracting paid users within its first three months. Its intuitive interface and powerful AI tools make it an ideal choice for anyone who needs flexible, intelligent notes that adapt to their workflow.
Since launch, MindNote has gained strong traction, attracting paid users within its first three months. Its intuitive interface and powerful AI tools make it an ideal choice for anyone who needs flexible, intelligent notes that adapt to their workflow.
From transcribing hours of Video meetings/lectures to generating meeting summaries or capturing spontaneous ideas, MindNote makes it as simple as type, paste, transcribe, speak, or upload.
Key Features Include:
Personalized workspaces: Custom colors, folders, images, and audio support.
Key Features Include:
Personalized workspaces: Custom colors, folders, images, and audio support.
In-person & virtual meeting transcription: Works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, with Slack Huddles on the way.
Video transcription: Convert any video URL into editable notes.
Multi-language speech-to-text dictation.
Text-to-voice playback for hands-free review.
AI smart editing: Summaries, translations, tables, formatting, and more with one tap.
Media integration: for context-rich notes.
Flexible organization: color, groups.
Image-to-text conversion: Extracts handwritten or typed content.
Real-time collaboration: for teams and classrooms.
Multiple export formats: PDF, CSV, DOC, DOCX.
MindNote is designed for those who write often and think fast, teams capturing meeting minutes, students organizing lectures, and researchers synthesizing interviews. It delivers clarity, speed, and simplicity, making notetaking smarter and more intuitive than ever.
Supporting MindNote
MindNote continues to grow with user feedback and constant improvements. Anyone curious about the platform can simply sign up and try it no commitment required. A free trial is available, making it easy to experience the app firsthand.